Forward error correction (FEC) is often used in communication systems, and is based on transmitting data in an encoded format. FEC is usually carried out by adding redundancy to original data for transmission using a predetermined algorithm. The redundancy to the original data allows a decoder to detect and correct transmission errors.
There are many examples of FEC codes, including a Reed-Soloman (RS) code. A RS code is a block error correction code, and is specified in the International Telecommunication Union standard ITU-T (Recommendation J.81). For example, an RS encoder receives original data in a predetermined block format and adds redundant bits to the original data to generate a code block (e.g., a code word). An RS decoder receives the encoded data and related parity check data and recovers the original data when a transmission error occurs.
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